Know Our India- Durga Puja 2013

Durga Puja is a great Hindu festival. It is celebrated every year in the month of September - October. Durga Puja celebrates the worship of the Goddess Durga. Durga Puja is the most popular festival in the Indian State of Bengal. Besides Bengal, Durga Puja is also popular in the Indian States of Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam and Tripura. Durga Puja has not only a religious significance but it has a great socio-cultural significance as well. There are other Indian states as well who celebrate Durga Puja like Delhi, Gujarat etc. The Bengali people organize the Puja wherever in the world they are settled. Durga Puja is becoming immensely popular among the settlers abroad. It is a very popular festival in India and abroad.

The Puja goes on for a period of 10 days. Several people observe strict fast during the period. It is widely believed that on the day of the Durga Puja, Durga who is married returns to her father “Himalaya”. Bengali celebrates it with great fervor. The atmosphere especially on the 10th day of the Puja is electrifying.

People are dressed in new clothes, they move around the town to see the decorated pandals where the statue of the Durga is kept. The pandals are decorated in a very artistic way. Now a day there is a great experimentation in the making of the pandals. Use of electric bulbs and other effects make the pandals very attractive. People start thronging to these pandals with the setting of the sun and move till very late in night.

Devi Durga is also known as the Goddess of Power. She ends the tyranny of Mahisasur who had become Durga Puja Festival
very tyrannical after getting a boon from Brahma to remain immortal. The Gods became much oppressed with the tyranny of Mahisasur and went to Brahman to seek a way to kill the demon. Brahma said that the Gods need to create a beautiful maiden in order to kill Mahisasur. The Gods created Durga with 10 hands. In each of her hands she got a special weapon given by Gods. Because of this fact Goddess Durga is also known as the Goddess of power who rides a lion.

On the 10th day, big precession starts and the idol of Goddess Durga is immersed in water. The whole procession is very attractive. People become very enthusiastic on the day and celebrate the festival with great happiness. The pandals are prepared with great artistic skill. They are made to look very attractive. People throng to see these beautiful Pandals.

Durga Puja is a great Indian festival, it shows all the colors of Indian culture. It is becoming bigger and bigger every year. The International Indian communities also celebrate this festival with great fervor.